Leather and Lace
by SydneyAlice
Summary: A rodeo cowboy reconnects with the love he left behind. 1st Place Judge's Choice & 2nd Place Public Vote in the 80s Power Ballad Contest.


**AN: I want to thank everyone who voted in the 80s Power Ballad Contest. It was anonymous, which is my favorite kind of contest! This was my story, and it won 1st place in Judge's Choice and 2nd place in the public vote. Thanks so much to the hosts, judges, voters, and anyone who just read it and enjoyed it. **

**Thanks to Shaina for being my beta and to Kathie for pre-reading!**

**Disclaimer: "Leather and Lace" is by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley. The lyrics used within are all hers. I don't own Twilight, either, but we all know that. :)**

_**Leather & Lace**_

Edward had barely stepped inside the door before his body was pressing mine against the wall. Suddenly, my tiny kitchen was filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread and the sounds of our urgent moans as his mouth found mine.

There was no greeting. One might expect a simple hello after a three month separation, but we didn't. Idle conversation was completely unnecessary because I didn't have to ask how he was. He didn't have to ask me, either.

We knew, and that's why words were completely unnecessary.

What we did need was much more important.

It was always like this whenever he came into town. I'd offer him his first home cooked meal in months, a soft place to lay his head, and he'd give me…_this_.

Passionate kisses. Desperate touches. Thundering hearts.

"I missed you, Bella," he whispered against my mouth. "Did you miss me?"

For the thousandth time, I wondered if he'd finally missed me enough to stay.

Had he?

Would he ever?

"I missed you, too," I murmured as he buried his face against my neck.

He inhaled deeply before sucking on the skin just below my ear. Groaning softly, my hands began to drift lower, and he growled against my neck as my nails scratched along the buttons of his flannel shirt. I missed the feel of his body against mine, and my overeager fingers fumbled with the buttons until I was finally able to pry the fabric apart. His body trembled as my fingers made a trail from his chest down to his navel. Looking up, I found his eyes gazing intently at me as my hand continued south. We both smiled when my hands found the silver belt buckle. I didn't even have to look at it. Its image was burned into my brain.

"I always wear it," Edward said softly as his hand cupped my cheek. "I know how much you love it."

"I do love it," I replied as I gently traced the monogrammed letters in the center of the buckle. They were just three simple letters, but those three letters meant more to me than anything else in the world.

"You're still the prettiest girl I've ever seen," Edward murmured.

He told me this each time he visited, and I couldn't ignore the happiness that clenched my heart with his words. I wasn't an idiot. I knew all too well that the rodeo circuit was filled with girls. Beautiful girls. Ready and willing girls.

"Don't," he warned me. His voice was soft but his tone was firm. He hated when I let my insecurities bubble to the surface, especially when our time was so limited. "There's only you, Bella."

I had to believe him. I would go insane otherwise.

The timer on the stove let me know that the bread was done, and I pulled myself out of his arms and turned to find an oven mitt. I felt his eyes on me as I lowered the oven door and bent to retrieve the pan of biscuits. We worked in silence – me finishing up supper while he set the table – and the comfortable routine only made me ache for more nights just like this one. As we worked, we would brush against each other, and I gasped every single time. After being apart, my body was always sensitive to his proximity, to his scent, and to his touch. Every gentle brush of his body against mine made my skin blaze in anticipation.

It was heaven, because I loved him.

It was hell, for the very same reason.

Edward and I had met two years ago. At that time, I was fresh out of college and spending my summer on the ranch with my dad. Despite our lack of money, Charlie had forced me to attend college and earn a degree. All I'd ever wanted to do was work on the ranch, but dad had insisted that, as his business manager, I would need a good education with a strong background in math. I hated math, but I loved the ranch, so I got my degree in Finance from Oklahoma State. Before the ink on my diploma was dry, I was named business manager of Swan Stables. It had been in the family for generations and was one of the most profitable ranches in Oklahoma. We specialized in rodeo horses, and that was how I first became acquainted with Edward Cullen.

I'd heard his name, of course. He'd been named Rookie of the Year by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association and had set records in bareback riding and team roping. But I'd never seen him up close, so when he arrived at the ranch in hopes of purchasing one of our quarter horses, I didn't realize that I was negotiating a sale with one of the most famous riders on the circuit.

I'd been around cowboys all my life, so cowboy hats and tight jeans had lost their appeal long ago, but I'd never seen eyes as green as the grass, and I'd never seen a smile that could make my stomach do somersaults.

After much negotiating, we settled on a price, and then he asked me out on a date. I offered to cook him dinner instead, and my father made himself scarce so that I could make the first of many home cooked meals for Edward Cullen.

The months that followed were innocent. He'd visit every couple of months whenever his schedule would allow, and we'd ride horses around the ranch. We'd take picnic lunches down by the pond, and it was while lying on a blanket next to the water that we shared our first kiss. Three months later, it was on that very same blanket that we made love for the first time.

I wasn't a wide-eyed innocent. I knew the temptations that surrounded riders on the circuit. But Edward always promised that I was the only one, and while my father had warned me about falling too fast and too hard for a cowboy, that didn't stop me from doing exactly that. We wrote sappy love notes to each other and would mail them whenever he was on the road.

_I am stronger than you know  
>But I carry this feeling<br>When you walked into my house  
>That you won't be walking out the door<em>

Edward's replies were equally as sentimental.

_You in the moonlight  
>With your sleepy eyes<br>Could you ever love a man like me?  
>And you were right<br>When I walked into your house  
>I knew I'd never want to leave…<em>

We were young and in love, and despite the aching in my chest whenever he was away, I was deliriously happy.

That all changed last Christmas when my father died of a massive heart attack.

Suddenly, I was the sole owner of the family business. Edward was there for the funeral, but he was contractually committed to the circuit, so his visits were few and far between. With my father's crew, I was able to keep the ranch profitable, but it was the most difficult thing I've ever done. There were many nights – when the loneliness and fear were overwhelming – that I would cry myself to sleep. More than once, I considered selling the ranch, but my heart shattered to pieces anytime an offer was made. I just couldn't part with my last connection to my father, so I rolled up my sleeves and made what changes needed to be made to keep the family business running and successful. I hired a business manager to handle the daily operations of the ranch and I made technological improvements to our systems where they were needed. The ranch thrived, and I knew Charlie would have been proud of me.

Professionally, I was strong.

Emotionally, I was in pieces.

I hid my feelings well whenever Edward was in town because I refused to let our visits be tainted by my sorrow. But in the letters we'd send, I'd let him see brief glimpses of my sadness.

_Is love so fragile and the heart so hollow  
>Shatter with words impossible to follow<br>You're saying I'm fragile_

_I try not to be  
>I search only for something I can't see<em>

His letters were just as melancholy. The rodeo circuit could be a very lonely place, especially for a man who was trying to remain devoted to his girl back home. His letters to me would be equally as emotional but somehow hopeful, as if he could see a light at the end of our tunnel.

_Sometimes I'm a strong man  
>Sometimes cold and scared<br>And sometimes I cry  
>But that time I saw you<br>I knew with you to light my nights  
>Somehow I'd get by<em>

So that's what we did.

We got by.

"You're quiet tonight," Edward observed as we stood at the sink. I was washing while he dried. It was so normal and domestic that I wanted to cry.

"I'm sorry," I replied, forcing a smile as I handed him the last plate. The truth was that I was tired. I was so tired of having to say goodbye. It never got easier, and the house was so empty with him away.

We finished putting the dishes away and then he grabbed me by the hand, pulling me into the living room and toward the couch. Pulling me into his lap, his hands settled on my thighs as I wrapped my arms around his neck. With a quiet sigh, Edward brushed his nose against mine and kissed me softly.

"Tell me how to make you smile, Bella."

_Quit the circuit. Come home to me._

Of course, I didn't say either of those things. I wanted that to be his decision. I wanted him to love me enough to make that happen.

"I'm fine," I replied.

Edward carefully studied my face. "You are not fine. You look exhausted and you hardly touched your dinner – which was delicious, by the way."

"Thanks."

My fingers drifted into his hair, and his eyes closed as I gently massaged his scalp. He was in desperate need of a haircut, but I hated to do it. I loved the way the strands curled on the ends when it was a little too long.

"I bet I can make you smile." His eyes were still closed, but his lips curved into their very own smile.

"You already have," I said with a grin. "You're here."

He opened his eyes and stared deeply into mine.

"Can I stay?"

"Of course you can stay," I replied. He always stayed with me whenever he was in town. "Why would you even ask?"

"That's not what I mean," Edward murmured gently. His hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. "I mean, can I stay? Can I fall asleep with you in my arms every night and wake up to your beautiful face every morning? Can I stay?"

My eyes widened. It was everything I'd ever wanted to hear.

"For good?"

"If you'll have me," Edward nodded.

"What about the circuit?"

"I'm tired, Bella," he explained softly. "I'm tired of the road. I'm tired of the aches and pains in my body. I'm tired of sleeping in a different bed every night. I'm tired of saying goodbye to you when all I want to do is spend every single day right here on this ranch. I want to help you run it. I want to take care of you. I know you don't need me to do that, but I want to do that. I love you, Bella. I love you and you've waited long enough for me. I see it in your eyes. You're tired, too, baby. You're so tired, and I'm afraid you're going to give up on me."

"I would never," I whispered. "The rodeo has always been your dream, and I understand that. I accept that."

"And I've lived that dream," Edward replied as his hand gently caressed my cheek. "It's time to move on to my other dreams."

We'd discussed our future many times, and he'd proposed more times than I could count. But I'd always refused, knowing that his heart was with the rodeo, and that I just couldn't share him. I assumed he was like most rodeo cowboys and would ride until his body gave out.

"You have other dreams?"

"I do," Edward said tenderly, "and they all involve you."

He took my hand and pulled it toward his belt buckle. At first, I thought he was inviting me to unbuckle it, but then he settled my fingers over the three engraved letters. I closed my eyes and focused on the feel of the smooth pewter, cold against my fingers but filling my veins with warmth that journeyed straight to my heart.

_ECB_

The middle letter was slightly bigger than the other two. It had been his gift to me – a belt buckle with our first initials surrounding the first letter of his last name. It was a tangible representation of our future together, and I cherished it.

"I want to come home to you," Edward murmured. "I want you to be my wife. I'm ready, Bella."

I tried to blink away my tears as he placed soft kisses along my face. A teardrop trickled down my cheek, and he kissed it away, too.

"Please marry me," he whispered against my lips.

My hands gently framed his face.

"Yes," I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes…"

And that was all I was allowed to say because his mouth molded to mine, kissing me frantically and adoringly. We'd stop kissing just long enough to breathe, and even then, our lips stayed connected. Edward would smile at me, and I'd smile in return before closing our eyes. I'd missed him so much. I'd missed _this_ – his lips against mine, his body pressed against me, his arms encircling me as he held me tight.

And I had missed how his green eyes would smolder as he carried me to my bed.

_Our_ bed.

Our hands didn't fumble in the darkness. He knew my body, and I knew his, and it wasn't long before our clothes were tossed aside. I sighed as his hands and mouth rediscovered all of my imperfections, making me feel beautiful and whole again. We never rushed; he was always careful to start at the column of my throat and make his way down my body.

His fingers entwined with mine as we joined, and we held on tight. I arched my back, desperate to have him closer, and he pulled me forward until my legs were wrapped around his waist and we were nose-to-nose.

_Lovers forever_

_Face to face_

_Give to me your leather_

_Take from me my lace._


End file.
